1. Essential Question:
What were the long-term problems with the Articles of Confederation?
AH1H Agenda for Unit 3.1:
Articles of Confederation notes

3. The American republic would be a more “enlightened” version of the Roman Senate
When Americans declared independence in 1776, they needed to form a new government
They wanted to form a republic where citizens vote for elected leaders to represent them
They wanted to protect citizens & individual states from a powerful national government
King George III

4. When independence was declared, the 13 colonies became independent states
Each state had its own constitution, legislature, & an elected governor; 8 states had Bills of Rights
But, the USA needed a national gov’t to do things that states could not, like sign treaties & form a military
America’s 1st national gov’t was the Articles of Confederation ( )

5. This “confederation” style gov’t loosely connected the states under a weak national government

6. To pass a law, 9 of the 13 states had to agree
Each state could send between 2-7 representatives to the national congress, but each state had only 1 vote
To pass a law, 9 of the 13 states had to agree
Confederation Government in New York City
The national congress could make laws, settle disputes between states, negotiate treaties, handle Indian affairs, oversee a military
But all other powers were left up to the states

7. So, the national gov’t had
Americans did not want to re-create a powerful gov’t like the one they just fought the Revolutionary War to break away from
So, the national gov’t had
no president & could not tax the states or citizens
Confederation Government in New York City

9. Western Lands, 1783
Western Land Claims, 1783
The lands between the Appalachian Mountains & Mississippi River that were acquired from the British in 1783 were claimed by numerous states. Many of these land claims overlap. How should we solve this problem?

10. The Articles established a good system of settling western lands
The United States, 1783
Areas of Settlement, 1783
The Articles established a good system of settling western lands

11. Western Land Claims Ceded by the States
First, states had to cede (give up) their claims to lands in the west to the national gov’t
The “West” presented a problem:
Many states had overlapping land claims in the West
Some “landless” states (MD, NJ, DE) wanted part of West & refused to ratify the Articles without this issue resolved
The US gov’t negotiated treaties with Indians to gain land in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky

12. Congress passed the Land Ordinance of to create an orderly way to divide the west into townships & farms
Selling western lands was the only way the national gov’t could generate money since it did not have the power to tax

13. Section 16 of each township was set aside for a public school
Land Ordinance of 1785
Section 16 of each township was set aside for a public school

14. Northwest Ordinance of 1787
The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 gave government to the territories
When a territory had 5,000 residents, it could create a self-governing legislature
When a territory had 60,000 residents, it could apply to become a U.S. state
Slavery was outlawed in the NW

15. Closure Questions
The Articles of Confederation were created intentionally weak
What powers does the national government have?
What powers do the individual state governments have?
What problems do you predict will occur because of these political weaknesses?

16. The Articles of Confederation was America’s 1st form of gov’t
The weak national gov’t was originally seen as good because it eliminated tyranny
Later, these same weaknesses kept the gov’t from solving serious national problems
Confederation Government in New York City

17. Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation Activity

18. The inability of the government to collect taxes led to problems
Confederation Government in New York City

19. America could not pay off debts from the Revolutionary War
U.S. Trade with Britain,
America could not pay off debts from the Revolutionary War
Debt

20. Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
Outcome
Congress had no power to lay or collect taxes.
The government was always short of money.
Congress had no power to regulate interstate or foreign trade.
Economic quarrels among the states broke out. There was difficulty in arranging trade with other countries.
Congress had no power to enforce its laws.
The government depended on the states to enforce the laws.
Approval of nine states was needed to enact a law.
It was difficult to enact laws.
Amendments to the Articles required the consent of all 13 states.
There was no practical way to change the powers of the government.
The government had no executive branch.
There was no effective way to coordinate the work of the gov’t or enforce nat’l law.
There was no national court system.
The central gov’t had no way of settling disputes among the states.

22. Shays’ Rebellion proved to be the convincing event that led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787
Property foreclosures led an uprising among Massachusetts farmers called Shays’ Rebellion in 1787 but the gov’t could not pay for an army to stop it
Poor farmers in western MA were angered over high taxes & prospect of debtors jail
In 1786, nearly 2,000 debtor farmers in western Massachusetts were threatened with foreclosure of their mortgaged property. The state legislature had voted to pay off the state's Revolutionary War debt in three years; between 1783 and 1786, taxes on land rose more than 60 percent. Desperate farmers demanded a cut in property taxes and adoption of state laws to postpone farm foreclosures. The lower house of the state legislature passed relief measures in 1786, but creditors persuaded the upper house to reject the package.
When lower courts started to seize the property of farmers such as Daniel Shays, a Revolutionary War veteran, western Massachusetts farmers temporarily closed the courts and threatened a federal arsenal. Although the rebels were defeated by the state militia, they were victorious at the polls. A new legislature elected early in 1787 enacted debt relief.
By the spring of 1787, many national leaders believed that the new republic's survival was at risk. The threat of national bankruptcy, commercial conflicts among the states, Britain's refusal to evacuate military posts, Spanish intrigues on the western frontier, and armed rebellion in western Massachusetts underscored the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. The only solution, many prominent figures were convinced, was to create an effective central government led by a strong chief executive.
Daniel Shays led an uprising & closed debt courts & threatened a federal arsenal

23. America’s First National Government: The Articles of Confederation
After Shays’ Rebellion, people like Hamilton & Madison began calling for a stronger national gov’t
In 1787, delegates met in Philadelphia to discuss ways to improve the Articles
Instead of revising the Articles of Confederation, the delegates replaced it with the Constitution
34a - explain how weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation and Daniel Shays' Rebellion led to a call for a stronger central government

24. Closure Activity
Review each of the following rebellions by explaining the cause & the impact of each rebellion:
Stono Rebellion
Bacon’s Rebellion
Shays’ Rebellion
Rank order these events from most important to least important